Nail set



0. OLSEN NAIL SET Original Filed Feb. 25, 1926 5 FY51 "FT- 31 gwuenl ozOle Olsen Patented Oct. 16, 1928. v

PATENT OFFICE.

OLE OLSEN, OE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON'L NAIL sn'r.

Refiledfor abandoned application" SeriaiNo. 89,946, fi1ed February 23;,1926.

February 29, 1928.

My invention relates to nail sets; particularly such as are used byfloorlayers in; setting the finishing, nails within the wood" offi oorboards. l

Ordinarily, using a plain] nail set, the

workman must grasp it. tightly near the ti-p,. gauging its distanceabove the floor and Positioning it relative to the nail with a linger,after which it must be struck sharply while soheld, to the end that itwill bite into the head of the nail and drive the nail theproperdistance below the surface of the floor. One result of the firm graspingof the.

nail set is cramping of the fingers, requiring ther, as the result ofoccasional carelessness,

generally brought about by fatigue resulting from the above causes, thenail set sometimes slips and marsthe floor, or is struck a glancing blowand: breaks.

I One of the-objects of my inventiomthen, is to provide means wherebythe nail set will automatically be positioned properly relative to thefloor and to the nail being set, withoutthe necessity of theworkmangrasping the nail set and guiding it with his own fingers.Associated with this object, it -isa further object to position thenail. set properly and so that its point is clearly visible at alltimes. It is also aturther object, by thus positioning: the nail set-andby avoiding thenecessity ofgrasping thenail set itself, to

protect the workmans fingers from being pinched between the nailset andthe floor. Another obj e'ctis the positioning and guidingot thenail setinsuoh away that it is not likely to be struck a: glancing blow, which,as explained above, tends tobreak the highly tempered sets, thusprolonging their-life.

' A further object is the provision of means which will exactly gaugethe amount of setting and which canbe adjusted to vary the same.

Other objects, and especially those which relate to structural details,will be easily as CBIlZEIlDGCl from a study of the drawings, wherein myinvention is shown embodied in forms which; are now preferred by me, andof this specification and the claims terminat- This application filedSerial 1%..257341. V

ing' the same, wherein the features which constitute my invention aredefined.

Figure l is an elevation with parts in section of a. preferred form ofnail set.

Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified construction. V v

Figure 3' is a side elevation of a further. modification and Figure 4 isa plan view ofthe' same construction. A

Essentially my idea comprises the provision of a frame, with which ispreferably associated a standard nail set, slightly or not at allmodified, so combined that the frame alone is freely and naturally held,and. so

that the nail set need not be grasped directly,

but is held and positioned at a proper distance above the floor andabove the nail to be set, in a properly vertical position,, and with thetipof the nail set and the head of the nail always visible so that thenails may be set rapidly, accurately, withv little exertion on the partof the workman, and all at uniform depths. V j It is to be understoodthat my device is not vper se, a positioning means, but rather a gaugeand a handle, in other words it is not my intention, by the useof thisdevice, to position the nail set with respect to: the head of a nail,but rather'to afford a con.- venient means of holding the nail set insuch a way thatit, can be positioned by visual means, the set beingvisible :trom substantially all directions, and to. provide, further, ameans which will gauge the distance of the nail set above, the head ofthe nail.

In the preferred form shown. in Figure 1. a standard nail set 1, whichmay be round in cross section,, isheld in: a frame, or guide, consistingoh the tube or sleeve 2, having the upwardly opening ap'erture andsupported by legs 23, which are spaced from each other at opposite sidesof the tip 11, of" the nail set The nail set 1, as will be seen, extendsthrough a bore in the main frame below the chamber 20 and is guided inthis bore 25 for substantially vertical movement when the entireframe-is held in verticalposition. It is normally held in upraisedposition by such means as the spring 4L, seated within the chamber 20and supporting the nail set through the medium ot'a flange or collar 13and a spring cup or washer 41. Upward movement otthenail set, under theinfluence of the spring- 4, is limited in some suitable fashion asby theprovision of V a nut 3 V therefor in the end of the legs and held in'place as by swaging overthe edges of the sockets, thus forming in effectball supports, or casters, for the nail set. These enable it to be movedfrom place to place over thesur face of the floor withpractically noeffort.

balls 21 in'contact with the floor and moving the tool until the tip 11of the nail set is positioned directly above the head of a nail setflush, or nearly flush, with the floor level, where the tip 11 is spacedabout above the nail head and it is to be noticed that neither the nailset nor any portion of thetool itself contacts with the nail. The nailhead, however, is freely visible from all sidespexcept when directly inline with the legs 23, which are made thin and comparatively narrow.

Thus positioned and'held by the frame, the tip of the nail set and thenail headare both'within plain view of the workman and the nail set ispositioned visually vertically above" the nail, directly in linetherewith. The upper end of the nail set, which protrudes through thebore 31, is then struck a sharp blow, whereuponnits' tip 11 strikes andbites into the head H and the nail is forced into the wood; Upon raisingthe hammer the spring at returns the. nail set'to Y itsoriginal positionand the device is moved into position over the next nail. g

It is important that the tip 11 be spaced above the nail head and not beplaced" in contact therewith, as it has been found that a sharp blowofthe tip upon the nail head is required to prevent the tip 11 slidingoff the nail head and damaging the floor, and

perhaps breaking the hard and brittle nail set. It is the necessity forthus holding the nail set above the nail, gauging the distance with afinger, which is the cause of occaslonally pinching the workmans'fingers between the nail set and the head, with painful results.

By the use of this tool, cramping due to tightly gripping the nail setis prevented and the shock is removed from the workmans hands, makingit'possible to continue for a longer time without resting, and to makegreater speed 'while working;

It has been found unnecessary to provide anymeans for limiting thesetting movement of the nail set so that the nails may-be unip withwhich the cup or washer ll might contact to limit thedownward'movementof the nail set.

In Fi 'ure 2 is shown a device wlilch 1s like the form of Figure 1, butof somewhat skeletonized construction. It still employs the legs 23,spaced apart to'leave the tip 11 of the nail set 1 clearly visible, butinstead of employjng'the sleeve 2 as a guide for the nail set the legs23ers connected bycross bars 26' and 27, thus leaving a rectangular Thedevice is employed by grasplng one of the legs-23, or the sleeve .2,placing the frame -above the floor. In the upper bar 26 in the'lowercross bar 27 .is formed the guide 25. The spring 4 in this instance issupported between the washer l1 which contactswith a pin ll and theupper surface of the cross bar 27. A pin 12 limit-s upward movement ofthe nail set while a pin 15 limitsits downward movement. The end of thelegs 23 may be formed as in Figure l, but as shown'herein are providedwith rollers or wheels 22. I

Figure 3 illustrates a further modification of theform of Figure 2 inthat the spring 4 is placed above the upper cross, bar 26. The pin/l5limiting downward movement is now placed between the cross bars 26 andZTand contacts with the crossbar 27 to limit the downward movement of thenail set. "It will be understood, of course,

thatin this form and in the form of Figure 2'thispin 15 may be omittedif desired, and usually would be omitted for expert setters. In Figure 3also the end of the legs 28 are shown as provided with rounded balls '28which contact with'the floor;

in Figure 4 it will also be'noticed'that a third leg is provided. With atwo-legged nail set, as heretofore "described, thenail set isautomatically held vertical in one plane,

but the workman must take care to retain it vertical in the transverseplane, This is inot-diifi cult for an expertbut When'used by theordinary householder it maybe desirsupporting said nail set in saidframe with its tip in predetermined position, above the floor and nailstherein and spaced from all parts of the frame.

2. A hand tool for setting nails comprising a nail set, a framecomprising a pair of floor-engaging legs, widely spaced from said nailset, said frame having meanswell above the floor and connected to saidlegs,for guiding said nail set for reoiprocatory movement, at stoplimiting upward movement of the nail set, and a spring acting yieldablyon said nail set and cooperating with said stop to hold the nail setnormally upraised, and with its tip in predetermined position above thefloor and nails therein and widely spaced from all parts of theframe.

A hand tool for setting nails comprising a nail set, a frame comprisinga pair of floor-engaging legs, widely spaced from said nail set, saidframe having means disposed well above the floor for connecting saidlegs and guilding said nail set for vertical reciprocatory movement,stops limiting movement of the nail set in either direction, and aspring yieldably acting on said nail set and cooperating with the upwardstop to hold the nail set normally upraised, and with its tip inpredetermined position above the floor and nails therein, and widelyspaced from all parts of the frame to be clearly visible, the downwardstop limiting movement of the nail set into the floor.

i. A hand tool for setting'nails comprising a nail set, a frame havingmeans guiding said nail set for reciprocatory movement,

means yieldingly supporting the nail set in said frame, and two legsdepending from said frame at opposite sides of and spaced from thenailset, to contact with the floor and to maintain said nail setsubstantially in vertical relationship to the'fioor and with its tipspaced above nails thereon and clearly visible between said legs and outof contact therewith.

5. A hand tool for setting nails comprising a nail set, a floor-engagingframe having two legs joined by cross bars, said bars having verticallyalined apertures forming guides receiving said nail set, stop pins insaid nail set engageable with said cross bars to limit upward anddownward movement of the nail set, and a coil spring surrounding saidnail set ,and operable to retainit normally and yieldably upraised abovethe floor level defined by the lower ends of said legs.

6. A hand tool for setting nails comprising a nail set, a two-leggedfloor-engaging frame having connecting cross bars, said bars havingvertically alined apertures forming guides receiving said nail set, stoppins in said nail set engageable with said cross bars to limit downwardmovement of the nail set and a coil spring surrounding said nail set andoperable to retain it normally and yeldably upraised above the floorlevel defined by the lower ends of said legs, and a guide bushingthreaded in one of said apertures andcooperating with the downward stoppin to vary the amount of setting.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this eighteenth day ofFebruary, 1928.

OLE OLSEN.

